Fire-kindler



H. FINCK. Fire Kindler.

No. 229,596. Patented July 6, 1880.

lmrentOT' Witnesses N. PETERS, PHDTD-LITHOGRAPNER, WASH UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY FINCK, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

FIRE-KINDLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 229,596, dated July 6, 1880. Application filed February 2, 1880.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, HENRY FINGK, of the city and county of San Francisco, and State of California, have invented a Fire-Kindler; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to that class of firekindlers wherein a series of bits of fagoted wood are coated with resinous oroleaginous matter; and it consists in fagotin g or binding together the bits of wood or other material by means of the tenacity of the inflammable matter into which they are dipped, so as to avoid the use of nails or tacks or offsets in fastening them.

In the said drawings, Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views of my improved kindler.

Pieces of wood A, of corresponding length, are taken, and between each of these, at each end, is placed a smaller piece, a, so as to separatethe longer pieces and leave room between them for air, to aid combustion. This is then dipped in resin, pitch, or other highly inflammable material of a gummy or sticky nature, which will bind or hold the pieces together without needing any nails or tacks.

Over the sticky gummy surface presented by the resin or pitch I sprinkle fine shavings, straw, or small pieces of paper, preferably the former, which are thus attached to the bunch of kindlings. A number of packages made up in this way are then tied together and sold as bunches of kindling, each of the little bunche serving to kindle a fire.

By preparing the kindler in the manner described a coal fire may be started without the use of any other kindling at all. The heat of a common match will ignite the fine shavings or paper, which will in turn furnish heatenough to ignite the resin, and this will start the pieces of wood into a state of combustion. As soon as a corner of the shavings, straw, or paper is lighted, the fire rapidly spreads over the whole lower surface of the kindler, going from one piece of paper or shaving to the next; so the whole bunch of resin-covered wood is soon in a flame. The objection to the common form of kindler is therefore obviated, nothing but a match being required to get mine into flames.

I am aware that fire-kindlers have heretofore been made by fagoting bits of wood by means of nails, tacks, dovetails, &c., and then coating them with inflammable matter, and I am also aware that a kindler so prepared has received a dressing of shavings, and hence I make no broad claim to kindlers so prepared; but,

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is- The fire-kindler-composed of the sticks A A, having the interposed blocks a, a at their ends dipped in melted rosin and allowed to cool, whereby the pieces all adhere without the use of fastening devices, as set. forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

HENRY FINCK.

Witnesses:

GEo. H. STRONG, S. H. NOURSE. 

